PUNE: While both NCPs have decided not to campaign for candidates and have settled for door-to-door campaigning, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP has relied on artificial intelligence-generated audio and video clips that mimic the voice and visuals of the late leader to make an emotional appeal to voters ahead of Saturday’s Zilla Parishad (ZP) and Panchayat Samiti elections. The late deputy chief minister, who died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28, was a powerful politician in Pune district, an NCP stronghold, for over two decades.His sudden death sent shockwaves across Maharashtra, especially in rural areas where his influence extended beyond politics to cooperative institutions, local bodies and governance.The AI-generated audio and video messages are widely circulated through groups and local election networks, last two to three minutes, and are highly emotional. In the clip, a voice resembling Pawar recalls his role in candidate selection when distributing tickets, outlines his vision for the ZP and urges voters to support those he “trusted” to get his job done.“These messages remind people of his dedication to rural development and faith in the candidates,” a local NCP leader said on condition of anonymity.For many villagers, Ajit Pawar’s voice still carries emotional weight. Party leaders said the audio message was aimed at reconnecting voters with Mr. Pawar’s legacy at a time when sympathy, nostalgia and political loyalty converge ahead of the polls.But the use of AI-generated content in live election campaigns has raised quiet concerns among political observers and rival political parties. Critics and rival candidates argue that introducing simulated voices of deceased leaders blurs ethical lines, especially when emotions are still raw after a tragic death.Opposition leaders acknowledged Mr. Pawar’s deep influence in the region, but said the content amounted to emotional manipulation of voters. “There is sympathy for Ajit Pawar across party lines, but elections have to be fought by the living and not by recreating the voices of the dead,” said Shiv Sena candidate Srinath Lande of ZP polls.
